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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23575786">Potential: Vicki the Vampire Slayer</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/FangFriendly/pseuds/FangFriendly'>FangFriendly</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Buffy the Vampire Slayer References, Character Death, Vampire Slayer(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 07:49:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>11,480</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23575786</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/FangFriendly/pseuds/FangFriendly</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Her life was pathetic. She was so damaged. She didn’t have one hint of self esteem. Vicki Donovan was a screwup and she knew it. What she didn’t know was that she had the potential to be so much more. Death was her gift.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Potential: Vicki the Vampire Slayer</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Author’s Note: Kind of not really a crossover. Definitely Vampire Diaries oriented. It was just something I’ve had in my head for a while. Had to get it out on paper, figuratively. </p>
<p>Disclaimer: I don’t own Buffy- but I do quote the iconic speech from the Season 5 Finale: The Gift. I don’t own The Vampire Diaries either. </p>
<p>Spoiler Alert: Everything before Season 6. Make references to The Gift and several other episodes all revolving around death scenes so beware if you haven't watched up until the season 5 finale.  </p>
<p>Trigger Warning: Graphic depictions of Death, Drugs, Attempted Sexual Assault and Physical Violence. These things are canon typical for both shows and unfortunately very  typical for Vicki Donovan specifically.</p>
<p>Enjoy?</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <hr/>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Dawn, listen to me. Listen.</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>I love you. I will always love you.</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>This is the work that I have to do.</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Tell Giles that- tell Giles I figured it out.</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>And- and I’m okay.</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>And give my love to my friends.</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>You have to take care of them now.</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>You have to take care of each other.</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>You have to be strong.</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Dawn, the hardest thing in this world is to live in it.</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Be brave. </em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Live.</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>.</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>.</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>.</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>For me.</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The growing portal </span>
  <em>
    <span>crackled </span>
  </em>
  <span>with energy, with heat, with </span>
  <em>
    <span>magic. </span>
  </em>
  <span>A living mass of swirling purples and veins of white lightning. It pulsed and writhed, spreading and threatening to devour </span>
  <em>
    <span>everything.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Everyone.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The grates beneath her feet practically gave way as she ran across the panels, she could feel them flex and quake beneath her weight as her boots projected her forward.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She probably should have been able to hear the </span>
  <em>
    <span>clink</span>
  </em>
  <span> of the metal, or the </span>
  <em>
    <span>crackle</span>
  </em>
  <span> of the portal’s energy, or the cries of her family. She didn’t. She could hear nothing but the roar of the blood in her veins, her heart beating a tattoo against her chest. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Bu-bump. Bu-bump. Bu-bump. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Wind whipped around her, rolling off the portal in waves. Sharp against her skin, stinging and growing stronger with each bound she took.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>One leap over the hole in the platform. Then just one more step to propel herself off and into the air. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Buffy found herself taking one last glimpse of the rising sun as her arms swept out to her sides. In a bid to fly? She wasn’t sure.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn’t instantaneous. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When she jumped off the ledge of the tower and into the portal below she half expected to die right on the spot. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She wasn’t so lucky.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Pain laced her body. It was worse than anything she had felt before. It was like every nerve ending was on fire. She burned and she stung and she ached. Her body spasmed. She tried to clench her jaw in a bid to relieve the pain but she couldn't even control the muscles in her face. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The roar in her ears grew worse.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The pain wouldn’t end. She’d thought she would have hit the ground by then. But her body was trapped within the portal, suspended within its confines, floating several stories above the ground.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Buffy opened her eyes, not realizing she’d even closed them in her pain, expecting to see the street below. Hoping to catch a last glimpse of </span>
  <em>
    <span>someone</span>
  </em>
  <span>.  </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Anyone</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But she didn’t see any of the Scoobies. She didn’t see Spike. She didn’t even see the street below. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Instead she saw the charred ruins of what was probably once a cityscape, black and barren and overlooked by a red sky. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She could feel herself falling now. Feel the pull of gravity on her entire body but especially on her core, like there was a hook beneath her navel tugging her forward. Twisting up her insides.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And then she blinked, eyes falling closed for half a second as a new wave of pain hit her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly she wasn’t surrounded by whatever Hell dimension she’d been in.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She was still falling but now the world was blue. A frozen tundra as far as the eyes could see. She kept her eyes open though her body’s first instinct was to shut them, probably to avoid watching the ground rise up to crush her. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>There was a flash of white and the pain in her body seemed to spike and then the world changed again. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She kept falling. The world kept changing. And the pain only grew worse.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She was burning from the inside out, or maybe the outside in, she couldn’t really tell. It felt like her body was being crushed from all directions. It was getting harder to breathe.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She inhaled, or tried to, but she ended up choking on her own blood. Did she bite her tongue? Was it from her lungs? The pain was so bad it could have been both.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She tried to swallow it down, the blood in her throat. She needed to breathe. But it was just a thick mass in her throat and she had no more control of her muscles.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A world of orange, of fire, blinked away to reveal something she was a little more familiar with. Green. Trees and grass, spotted with squares of grey. The sky was blue and the sun was yellow. This world seemed to be an earth. But that was just an observation in the back of her mind. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She’d popped into existence closer to the ground this time. Her body was rapidly approaching the tops of the trees and if she wasn’t choking on her own blood she would have probably worried about crashing into them. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her vision began to blur around the edges. Black slowly taking over all else as she struggled to breathe.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She could make out what seemed to be a forest floor, dirt and twigs and brush. And she shifted her eyes just as her body crashed through the top of the tallest tree. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her eyes locked onto another familiar sight. Grey stone, large frame. A mausoleum.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>A fucking cemetery.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She would never outrun her moniker.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>She who hangs out a lot in cemeteries.</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She’d been without breath for too long. Her head snapped back as she hit a branch. Her vision went black. And the roar in her ears had finally disappeared. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>No more pulse to fill her veins and no one left to listen.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>With a flash of white lightning the body was gone. On to the next plane.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The body continued to fall, but not through the portal. It had closed. It had taken its gift. It had its blood.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>With an echoing crash, the body came to a stop.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The Slayer was gone. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>But not the potential she’d carried.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Vicki, listen.</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>I’m going to be gone for a few days.</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Dan has some work that he has to do out of town.</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>In New York! I’m going with him.</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Tell Matty I’ll be home soon.</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>You’re such a good big sister. </em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Watch out for him.</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Take care of each other.</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Be smart.</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. ;)</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Have fun.</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>Love</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>.</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>.</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>.</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>
    <em>-Kelly</em>
  </b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Long fingers crumpled the scrap of paper into a tight ball, knuckles going white with the force of her grip. Her fingernails dug into the skin of her palm, sending a comforting sting up her arm.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Damn her mother.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She’d woken up early to put together a lunch for Matty. He and his classmates were going on a field trip that day and unfortunately she didn’t have enough money for him to buy lunch at the museum food court. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She’d thought about slipping a few bills from her mother’s purse, but more often than not it’s usually empty anyway. It was still worth checking. Only when she’d stumbled into the kitchen half awake and squinting she didn’t find her mother’s purse in its usual spot. She instead found a ripped corner of a slip of notebook paper, her mother’s chicken scratch scribbled diagonally across the lined paper. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She didn’t know what bothered her more. The fact that she wasn’t surprised to find the note and her mother gone without warning? Or the fact that she for some reason didn’t write within the lines of the </span>
  <em>
    <span>fucking lined paper. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her mother was a sociopath. She rolled her eyes as she tossed the note into the garbage. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She made her way to the fridge, her bare feet padding along the cold kitchen tile. She pulled open the door, squinting her eyes against the bright light within. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was mostly empty. They needed to go to the grocery store. How convenient, that her mother would leave before that specific chore was done. Vicki snatched out the loaf of bread and tucked it under her arm. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She opened the door further and bent to get a full view of her options. She eyed the condiments that lined the fridge door lingering on the mayo and mustard. She spotted a container of roast beef near the back. She tossed the bread onto the counter behind her and set out the jar of mayo and bottle of mustard. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She reached back into the fridge and flipped the roast beef over looking for an expiration date on the back label. It was still good for two more days. She shook it back and forth though and realized it was a little too light. She peeled back the black cover to reveal a single slice of meat. She tossed the container back into the fridge with a huff. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Peanut butter and jelly it was. Except they only had peanut butter. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“God damn it!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She leaned her face against the freezer door with a groan. The cold seeped into her skin, both from the cold door pressed against her forehead and the open fridge releasing cool air against her short clad legs. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>There was nothing to eat. And her mom was gone for who knows how long. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She had some money stashed away for days like this. When her mother forgot to buy groceries, or pay a bill, or when Matty needed school supplies. Kelly had been surprisingly responsible for the past few weeks, probably to impress Dan. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kelly Donovan paid the rent and the utilities and allowed Vicki to relax a little. Vicki had bought a new jacket for Matt, one that was big enough that he’d be able to use for a while. She bought a few things for the house too. She’d also splurged on a new pair of boots. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She’d thought that maybe her mother was finally picking up the slack. That she was finally taking responsibility. She’d foolishly spent most of the cash she’d saved. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And now there was just barely enough to last them the week.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She straightened up with a sigh, closing the refrigerator door quietly behind her before making her way to her room. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She flipped on the light and crawled onto her bed. She awkwardly walked across the mattress on her knees until she reached the headboard. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was pretty ornate, definitely the nicest thing in this whole damn house. Cherrywood embellished with intricate carvings of flowers. It was a Maxwell family heirloom. A bed frame, all she had left of her father. She ran her finger along the flowers and vines that crawled along the bedpost until she reached the little knob at the top. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She wrapped her hand around the orb and twisted. With a soft creak the wood gave way and she was able to unscrew the top of the post. She tossed the wooden ornament onto her pillows and dug her fingers into the hollowed out portion of the frame.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her fingers brushed velvet. She pinched the material between her fingers and tugged the small pouch loose from the hole. She loosened the tie and pulled out the few bills she had saved away. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ten. Fifteen. Twenty five. Forty five. Sixty five. One hundred and Fifteen.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>One hundred and fifteen dollars. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her fingers lingered on the ten before plucking out the twenty, and then darting back in for another five. Matty should be able to buy something at the gift shop if he wanted to. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She thought about the Lockwoods and the Gilberts. Matt hung around the children of doctors and the mayor. She couldn’t give him much but she’d give him what she could spare. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Matt gets twenty five and groceries get ninety. She could work with that. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She leaned over and peaked out of the curtains. The sun was starting to rise but she paid it no mind. Her eyes swept across the empty driveway. No car. They’d have to walk. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She glanced at the alarm clock on her dresser. It was six. Two hours was enough time for a quick shower and breakfast and then the walk over to the middle school. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vicki crawled off the bed and made her way down the hall. She reached for the handle of Matt’s door but it wouldn’t give. It was locked. She pounded her fist across her brother’s door. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Come on, Matty! Time to get up!” She jiggled the knob still calling for him. “Come on, let’s go!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>There was no response. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ugh! We don’t have time for this!” Vicki jogged down the hall to the kitchen. She grabbed a butter knife from the dish rack and walked back over to Matt’s room. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She pounded in the door again. “Matt!” She could hear him mumbling, still half asleep. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Stupid sleep talker.” The words came out in a huff as she rolled her eyes and prepared to break into his room. She pushed on the door and slipped the butter knife into the seam, right next to the doorknob. She shifted once and then the door slid open with a soft </span>
  <em>
    <span>click. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The door slammed against the wall when she shoved it open. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oops.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Matt popped up from the bed with a yelp. “What the hell, Vick?!” He flailed around a bit, clutching at the cover and holding up the comforter to his bare chest. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vicki ignored him as she set the butter knife down onto his dresser. “Mom’s gone out of town. So we’re going to have to walk. Which means we have to start getting ready, like, now. You can have the shower first.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Matt stared at his sister with wide eyes, fingers still curled around the blanket in a death grip. “Okay, sure, whatever. Can you close the door?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She raised a brow at him. But wrapped her hand around the knob just the same, ready to do just that until a thought stopped her. “Are you-? Are you naked under there?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What!? N-no! Just get out. Will you?” She watched as her brother seemed to pull the blankets up to his chin.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Were you-? Like, you know…” she couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled up out of her throat. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No, Vick! I just woke up. It- it was hot last night, okay? Just shut the door!” She laughed through his whole spiel, not even bothering to hide her joy of his embarrassment. “Get out!” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He was actually starting to get angry, she could tell. “Okay, okay! I’m going, I’m going!” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She pulled the door shut and laughed her way to her room ready to pick out her clothes and then scrape up some breakfast from whatever was left in the kitchen. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span><br/>“It’s okay, I’m good. I don’t need that much.” Matt held the two bills out to his sister, giving them back. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s no big.” Vicki stuck the slice of toast she was holding between her lips so her hands were free. She snatched the bills from his hand and leaned over to stick them into his jacket's breast pocket. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Bring me back a souvenir, or something.” She spoke through a mouthful of bread.</span>
</p>
<p>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vicki knew that Matt wasn’t stupid. He knew how hard up on cash they always were. And he knew that more often than not that it was Vicki that did everything that needed to be done around the house. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She knew that her brother always did what he could to ease the burden that she undertook. He cooked and cleaned without being asked, he </span>
  <em>
    <span>always </span>
  </em>
  <span>went to school and did his homework, and he </span>
  <em>
    <span>never</span>
  </em>
  <span> asked for anything. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Never</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her blue eyed, blonde haired, sasquatch of a brother was practically an angel. And he deserved to live a normal life. One where twenty five bucks was a norm and not some </span>
  <em>
    <span>fucking</span>
  </em>
  <span> unicorn in its rarity. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His big blue eyes held her green ones for a long moment, they’d stopped at a crosswalk, before flicking back to the road ahead of them. “Okay.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>No more arguing.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The two were walking towards Mystic Falls Middle School where Matt was finishing up his final year. Vicki was a freshman at the high school, and though the middle school was actually a block or two out of her way she always walked with her brother. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So where is mom exactly?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vicki looked both ways and then at their brother before crossing. She eyed the cars waiting for the light as she passed them. She tugged in the strap of her messenger bag before answering him. “Mmm, somewhere in New York, I guess. Off with Dave for a few days for a business trip.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Dan. This one’s name is Dan.” Of course Matt remembered the guy's name. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Right, Dan. I’m not sure when she’ll be back. Soo…” She trailed off knowing he’d pick up on her thought process. She shoved the rest of her sham of a breakfast into her mouth, puffing out one of her cheeks. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I know the drill. Don’t mention anything to Elena or Caroline.” She wasn’t looking at him but she could tell that he was rolling his eyes. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She had nothing against either girl, </span>
  <em>
    <span>not really</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but I had to be mentioned.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Forbes was a sweet girl, a little rude with her forwardness, but well meaning in general. She just liked to talk, to fill silences. And there was always a risk that her mother, the Sheriff, would accidentally hear anything Caroline had been told in confidence. They didn’t need the Sheriff snooping around while their flighty mother was gone, leaving two teens unsupervised for so long. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Gilbert</span>
  </em>
  <span> on the other hand. Vicki rolled her eyes at the thought of the Gilbert girl. Matt was head over heels for </span>
  <em>
    <span>sweet, innocent </span>
  </em>
  <span>Elena Gilbert. He would tell the girl everything, every dark secret, if he’d been allowed to. And though it seemed unconscious on her part, Elena had a tendency to </span>
  <em>
    <span>judge</span>
  </em>
  <span> and </span>
  <em>
    <span>fix</span>
  </em>
  <span> everything wrong in the world. She was a bleeding heart living in a world of rainbows. Plus Miranda Gilbert was a friend of their mother’s and they didn’t need the trouble that would come if she found out. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you finish that one math problem you were having trouble with last night?” Vicki sucked the butter and crumbs off her fingers as she talked. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, I had to call up Elena for help though. She’d worked on the homework with Bonnie and Caroline.” Vicki would have helped her brother with his homework if he hadn’t needed help with math. Math was a weakness that apparently ran in the family. “Did you finish that essay that was due today?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>No. She hadn’t finished the essay. She’d instead cooked them dinner and cleaned up the mess when they were done. Then she’d done some of the reading for her English class before going to sleep. She forgot about the History paper. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yup.” She popped the ‘p’ hoping her nonchalance would distract him from the lie. She’d just turn it in tomorrow. It wasn’t like she was even going to school that day anyway. She had a few things to do.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She needn’t have worried though because when she looked up at her brother his eyes were focused on the building in front of them. They’d reached the school and guess who was standing on the front steps with her two sidekicks.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, Elena!” Vicki watched as a wide dopey grin stretched across her brother's face. He looked like a damn golden retriever. “I’ll see you later, Vick.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She watched him go with a frown. He hadn’t even looked her way with that goodbye. “Rude.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She waited until the group headed into the building before leaving herself. She turned back the way they came and made her way to the town square instead of the high school. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She had ninety dollars burning a hole in her pocket. She needed to buy enough groceries to last them at least a week and hopefully have some left over. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Broke diet it was. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She turned down a small street and stopped in front of the one grocery store in town. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She grabbed a cart and began her mission. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She ended up buying a lot of canned food. Chili, baked beans, some soups and some canned corn. She swept up a bag of rice, some pasta and a cheap jar of alfredo sauce while she was at it. Bread was a must have and strawberry jam. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She also tossed about twelve packets of instant noodles into the cart. She made sure to grab a few bags of frozen mixed veggies to go with the noodles. She eyed the frozen pizzas before turning to put a box of hot pockets into the cart.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She got a carton of eggs and some cereal and milk for breakfast. She’d have bought some juice or soda or something but she’d have to walk all this stuff home on her own as it was. She’d get the drinks while Matt was around to help her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She headed toward the checkout while mentally tallying up her bill. It was probably going to come out to about fifty dollars, fifty five with tax? She was sure she had enough to cover it. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She left the store with thirty five dollars and four full plastic bags she’d have to lug halfway across town to the house. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was ten o’clock by the time she’d gotten home and finished putting away the groceries. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vicki eyed the clock in the living room from where she leaned against the kitchen counter. She drummed her black nails against the faux granite. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She had thirty five dollars to her name and that was fine, really. She just didn’t like being with so little when her mother was out on her getaways. Kelly always said she’d be gone for a few days. Sometimes it </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>only for a few days, but most of the time her mother disappeared for two weeks maybe more. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She still needed to buy water and other liquids. The house was old and the pipes needed to be changed and she just didn’t feel comfortable drinking the stuff from the tap. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She highly doubted her mother would be back anytime soon and that meant that she needed </span>
  <em>
    <span>more </span>
  </em>
  <span>money. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vicki had a way to get the cash she needed. She just wasn’t sure if it was a good idea. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She knew a couple of upperclassmen that hung out in one of the old founding family cemeteries. It was basically a drug den. Weed, prescription meds, alcohol. They bought and sold and traded. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She’d been there a few times with a few freshmen brave enough to try their hand stonerhood. She’d smoked a few times but overall she didn’t like the cloudy feeling that overtook her when she was high. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The loss of control, the lack of focus. She didn’t have time for that. Not when the weight of Matty’s future rested in her shoulders.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She had no real intention of partaking but she was more than willing to head down and see if she could sell off any of the shit Kelly left behind. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her mother was known to have dabbled in a bit of everything. It was time Kelly started lifting her weight around here.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ten minutes later she had a bottle of Jack, probably half an ounce of weed and two prescription bottles courtesy of someone named Michelle. Phenobarbital and Percodan, she assumed they were both painkillers. She tucked everything into her bag and set out for the hike she’d need to make it to the Salvatore Mausoleum.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vicki found herself stomping through the woods a little before noon. Right now she’d usually be sitting in third period History, but she wasn’t feeling too bad about that considering she had Tanner. And she didn’t do his essay. So she was glad to have escaped that particular brand of hell. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She could hear music up ahead so she knew she was close. She’d only had a vague idea of where the place was, she’d always gone in a group, so she’d been strolling through the woods for a little longer than she’d have liked to admit.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She could see the wrought iron fence that blocked off the cemetery from the rest of the forest. She idly wondered how long it had been there because it seemed really out of place, considering that the cemetery was overrun with weeds and stray trees </span>
  <em>
    <span>and stoners. </span>
  </em>
  <span>It was doing a piss poor job of keeping things out. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vicki trailed her fingers across the bars as she rounded the gate. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Donovan!” She was greeted with a cheer of her name and lazy nods from the few teens that had gathered on a Monday afternoon. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey.” She recognized everyone there, having seen them around the school or the cemetery. She eyed a familiar face that she hadn’t seen around the den before. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She dodged her way around coolers and stray teens as she made her way to the mausoleum. She settled herself on the entrance steps as the boy beside her made room. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hello, Victoria.” He sat hunched over, his elbows resting on his knees and a cigarette pinched between two fingers. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Asshole.” She removed the strap of her bag from around her neck, tucking the satchel against her side. “Don’t call me by my full name, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Benjamin.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She leveled the junior with a glare as he held out a pack of cigarettes as a peace offering. She plucked one up and set it between her lips as she felt around her pockets for her lighter. “You got a light? Think I left mine at home.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He wordlessly held out the lighter for her, flame ignited. She leaned forward a bit, cuffing her hand around his to steady the flame and protect it from the breeze. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vicki took a long drag from the stick, letting the smoke linger in her lungs before exhaling through slightly parted lips. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She’d </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> needed that cigarette. She knew it was all in her head but that single drag of the death stick between her fingers had eased the tension she’d carried with her all morning. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She stretched out her legs, wiggling her toes in the boots she’d not so smartly chose to wear for a hike through the woods. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What are you doing here?” McKittrick asked after a moment of silence. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Me?” She took another drag. “I should be asking you that, Mr. Star Quarterback. This isn’t exactly your scene.” Her words escaped around the smoke in her mouth.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It really wasn’t his scene. Ben McKittrick was from the same side of town she was from, the wrong side, but he’d managed to defy expectations and was making a name for himself in the community. Quarterback, smart, charming, </span>
  <em>
    <span>handsome. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He’d wormed his way into the founders circle like Matty. He hung out with some Fell cousin, an entitled douchebag if she’d ever known one, and she’d known several over the years. Ben hung out with the right people and did and said the right things. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Everyone thought he was going places. Except Vicki.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She looked at him as he sat beside her. She studied his pretty face. Slightly tan skin, dark hair. Sharp features. A strong jawline, a beauty mark that brought attention to pink inviting lips that pulled into a charming smile. Straight white teeth. Her eyes flitted around his face before meeting his eyes. Brown, deep set, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>hollow</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She looked away and slipped the cigarette back between her lips. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He had dead eyes. He was burning out. A person can fake charisma and deal with life’s burdens for only so long before they broke. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ben was reaching his breaking point. Hence his being at a place like this. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She exhaled another cloud of smoke. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She gave him two years. Tops.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Just didn’t feel like going to class today. That’s all.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She hummed in response before letting her eyes sweep over the group. She made eye contact with a blue haired regular, who smiled at her and held up a joint. An invitation.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey! Vicki, want some?” She sat up a bit, removing herself from her boyfriend's lap, and held out the offering once again. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Naw…” Vicki didn’t know the girl's name. “I’m good. I’m here on business, not pleasure.” At her words several people sat up, their attention caught.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What does the auctioneer have for us today?” The blue haired girl’s boyfriend spoke up as he nestled his chin into the crook of the girl’s neck. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vicki took stock of what everyone seemed to be using. She spotted some joints sitting in a cooler and a few beer cans strewn around. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She took a final drag of her cigarette before stubbing the thing out on the mausoleum stone. She pulled her bag onto the step before her, between her legs. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her hand wrapped around the neck of the bottle. “On the house.” She held the bottle out to a freshman who stood by her on the steps. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“And I have some Percodan. Courtesy of one Michelle Bradley.” She pulled the little orange bottle out of the bag and shook it back and forth, letting the pills rattle around. “Five bucks a pop.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Is that like Percocet?” Ben asked. His eyes were on her as stubbed his own cigarette out onto the steps between them. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s like Percocet’s sexy cousin.” A smirk pulled up at the corner of her lips before she turned back to the crowd of potential buyers. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Five bucks? I can do that. I want four.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vicki took the bill that was handed to her before twisting off the safety cap and placing four white pills into the waiting hand. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vicki had collected a hundred dollars in the span of five minutes. She tucked the money into her boots, not trusting the money in her pockets or her bag. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She decided to save the rest of her goodies for later. No use handing them all out now and not to the burnouts that hung around here. She’d make a pretty penny if she sold to some of the more </span>
  <em>
    <span>affluent</span>
  </em>
  <span> kids in town. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maybe she’d ask Ben if he’d be willing to make an introduction. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What do you need the money for?” His lips were wrapped around a bottle when she looked back at him. The others had all dispersed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“None of your business.” The response was automatic, her words were sharp.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His eyes were staring at her intensely. He’d been doing it the whole time she’d been there but it was starting to make her uncomfortable. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He hadn’t asked for any pills. He hadn’t smoked any of the weed either. He just sat there with his beer and cigarettes. She was feeling judged beneath his stare. Like he was looking deep into her soul and found something lacking. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He tilted his head back, draining the last of his beer before speaking again. “Your mom, gone again?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her jaw clenched. “I’m gonna get a beer.” She stood letting the blood circulate through her limbs again. She picked up her bag and set it on the side of the mausoleum, away from the </span>
  <em>
    <span>prying</span>
  </em>
  <span> asshole. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She stomped over to the cooler, prying the lid open and submerging her hand in ice and water, fishing for a bottle amongst the cans. Her fingers wrapped around the neck. She wiped the water off her hand and moved to the fence. Vicki hooked the bottle cap on the gate and </span>
  <em>
    <span>yanked, </span>
  </em>
  <span>popping the thing open. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She brought the bottle to her lips and took a long sip. She looked back towards the steps to see that her spot had already been taken by a girl she didn’t know. The girl was practically fawning over McKittrick. She rolled her eyes. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, Vicki.” The blue haired girl came up on Vicki's left. “Haven’t seen you around here in awhile.” She turned her head away to exhale before turning back with a smile. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry, I’ve been a bit busy lately. Matt’s been making me train with him for the football tryouts coming up.” Matt was in middle school but he was training for the JV high school team. They always held tryouts in the spring the previous year so if he wanted to play freshman year he had to try out in a week. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ah, another football star?” She held out the joint for Vicki. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vicki eyed it for a moment. She tried to never be high or drunk around Matty. He’d had enough to deal with from their mother, she didn’t like to add to the burden. She didn’t normally like the putty-like feeling that took over when she smoked but today was one of those days she’d make an exception. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She looked up spotting the sun still at its apex. It was barely noon. She’d be sober by the time school let out. She accepted the roll and took a pull before passing it back. Turning away to exhale she spotted McKittrick again. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Go Timberwolves. Woo.” Her deadpan response made the girl next to her cough, smoke escaping through her nose. “But seriously, yeah. Hopefully he’ll make something of himself.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The “</span>
  <em>
    <span>unlike me,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>went left unsaid, but it was heard loud and clear. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Mhmm.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vicki took a sip from the bottle in her hand but it wasn’t enough. She tilted the bottle back further, taking a gulp, then two. She felt the excess dribble down her chin. She pulled the bottle from her lips and dried her face with her sleeve.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She took another hit and wandered off towards the others when the blue haired girl waved her off as she tried to give the joint back. She plopped herself down on the forest floor with a chuckle and a long drag. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was all laughs and chill and lightness. She finished her joint and accepted the beer handed to her after she’d finished her own. She felt relaxed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Light</span>
  </em>
  <span>, in a way she hadn't felt in a long time. Too long. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her mother had been home for the past few weeks but it didn’t bring any relaxation. It just made Vicki even more tense. The anticipation just grew and grew and </span>
  <em>
    <span>grew. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Like riding a rollercoaster. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her mother abandoning them didn’t ease the tension, it was just that moment before the big drop. That last </span>
  <em>
    <span>click </span>
  </em>
  <span>before you found yourself plummeting and free from all the pressure, from gravity. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The joint between her fingers, the bitter taste on her tongue from each sip of the bottle. That was her release. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It felt good to partake. To let go. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But it also made her feel sick, disgusted with herself because of her selfishness. She had a brother to take care of. Bills to pay. Food to put on the table. A mother to worry about. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A mother she was becoming with every pull she took. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She hated the way she </span>
  <em>
    <span>loved </span>
  </em>
  <span>to partake. Because it proved that she was </span>
  <em>
    <span>weak, pathetic, </span>
  </em>
  <span>like her mother. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She didn't have time to be happy and unburdened and delusionally free. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But she was selfish so she took another long pull of her joint and then chugged down the rest of her beer while the other burnouts cheered around her. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was all a haze after that. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>One minute she was sitting around enjoying herself and the next it’s like the world had been set onto a turntable. And the DJ who controlled it was booked for a </span>
  <em>
    <span>fucking rave.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She’d had a few beers but she’d only smoked the one joint, half of one really. She wasn’t a lightweight either. So she didn’t know what was wrong with her. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Everyone else seemed fine. Absolutely fucked up, but they didn’t seem too worried about it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She stumbled over to the mausoleum and picked up her bag. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was time to go. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You okay? Do you need a ride?” Vicki looked up to see Ben still resting against the steps, another cigarette in his hands. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It was just a few beers, man. I’m good.” She nodded his way before straightening up. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vicki let her hands graze the wall of the mausoleum as she passed, heading away from the crowd. She’d just cleared the back corner when her ankle gave out, she smacked her shoulder into the cold stone. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She leaned against the tomb, trying to steady herself and waiting for the world to stop spinning. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It didn’t.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She tilted her head back, letting her eyes fall closed. She took deep breaths willing her heart to settle.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When she opened her eyes she knew that she was </span>
  <em>
    <span>fucked up. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Above the trees was a purple cloud. Swirling and spreading, laced with streaks of white.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What the fuck?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Then there was a body.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Falling. And Falling. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>There was a </span>
  <em>
    <span>snap</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And then it was gone. No body, no cloud.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vicki stumbled forward, unsure of what her mind had just cooked up. She moved toward the trees the hallucination broke through. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She spun around in a circle. Or maybe she stood still and the trees spun around her. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maybe she wasn’t so good after all.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Mc-McKittrick!” She called out, hiking her bag up so that it hung securely around her neck. She crashed through the brush behind the mausoleum. “McKit-trrrick? I could use that, that ride.” She looked down at him as he stubbed out his cigarette.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure, no problem. You're on my way anyway.” He motioned over time a black pickup parked not too far beyond the gates. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vicki followed behind him, tripping over a low headstone in the process. He looked back at her yelp of surprise. He put a hand on her back helping guide her along after that. “Careful, watch your step.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He opened up the passenger door and held out a hand to help her climb in. Vicki leaned her head against the window once he’d closed the door for her. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The world was on fire. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was chaos.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She didn’t think it would be like this. They didn’t tell her that </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span> was what they wanted. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She wanted the foreigners gone. She wanted them to respect her people. The people who lived here, who’ve lived here for </span>
  <em>
    <span>centuries. </span>
  </em>
  <span>She wanted them to respect the laws and the land and </span>
  <em>
    <span>the Gods. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They knew nothing. They cared not to </span>
  <em>
    <span>learn, </span>
  </em>
  <span>only to </span>
  <em>
    <span>change </span>
  </em>
  <span>and </span>
  <em>
    <span>destroy. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>But </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span>? This wasn’t what she had expected when she told the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Yìhéquán</span>
  </em>
  <span> that she would support their cause and join their ranks. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She’d entered the village with the intention of driving the foreigners out. </span>
  <em>
    <span>At any means necessary</span>
  </em>
  <span>. But she hadn’t expected the damage it would cause her own people. She hadn’t expected the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Yìhéquán </span>
  </em>
  <span>to set fire to the whole village, setting fire to the businesses and homes of all the Chinese citizens. She hadn’t expected to see men fighting to save their burning homes, women being dragged out of their homes, children crying in the streets.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She hadn’t expected to see so many Vampires taking advantage of the chaos. Feeding and causing terror amidst the fighting and rioting.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She weaves her way around the human destruction and headed straight for the monster closing in on a group of children. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her sword was an extension of herself. She stood behind him as he prepared to lunge on the children, she’d seen his deformed face smiling around bloody fangs. It hurt something in her to kill an opponent from behind, it was dishonorable, but there was no time to waste. With one swipe of her arm, and her sword, the monster’s head was severed from its body before crumbling to dust.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The children cowered against the wall, dirt and ash covering their bodies. She didn’t have time to take them to safety. She could still feel the presence of several vampires in the area. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>
    <em>Run. Head to the river. Don’t come back until the noise is gone. Until the fighting is finished. Run.” </em>
  </b>
  <span>She watched as they ran in the right direction. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She noticed another deformed face staring at her from the doorway of a burning tavern. Gold eyes, a bumpy brow, dark hair and a purple dress finer than anything she’d ever seen before. The creature smiled and crooked a finger at her, beckoning her forward.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vampire.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She tightened the grip on the pommel of her sword. She followed the monster as it disappeared into the flames. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When she entered the burning building she was met with a different Vampire. The female was gone, a quick scan of the room confirmed that it wasn’t hiding amidst the flaming ruins. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Instead there was a male waiting for her. It was also dressed rather expensively, Western in appearance like the female. Brown trousers, a pale tunic and suspenders. Brown hair parted down the middle in the English fashion. Yellow eyes stared back at her beneath the deformed brow. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It’s mouth was smeared with blood. She could see a pile of bodies burning in the far corner. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p><span>“</span><b><em>You are going to pay for the lives you’ve taken.”</em></b> <span>He responded to her words but she couldn’t understand his tongue. At that moment she wished she had paid more attention to the man who came to train her. He was foreign and foolish but he offered to teach her his language and she had refused on principle.</span></p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She gathered her limbs into position, knee up and sword poised to strike. She would take down this creature like she had done the others. She could feel the pull in her gut that urged her to slay, the yearning for another kill. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She made her way forward, striking out several times to push it further into the room. It merely dodged, its feet stayed planted even as her blade hovered a centimeter from its face. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>This one was brave, but she was experienced. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She sliced across its torso, drawing blood and ripping the shirt in the process. She stepped back and tucked her body forward to push her body into a flip, legs connecting with her undead target.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The fight was on.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She swung and stabbed her sword at it, but it kept dodging and moving about the room. It spoke as she fought. She swiped low and it jumped. He struck her and she struck back. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She swung her sword at him again and again and again. But it kept avoiding her blade. She swung a final time and her sword stuck true, just not at the Vampire. It hit her across the face, forcing her to abandon her weapon.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>With her sword gone she was left with hand to hand combat. She mostly used her legs, kicking with all her might as she tried to keep the monster at a distance.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She had the Vampire pinned at one point. She unsheathed her second weapon, her stake. Just as she was about to drive it home an explosion just beyond the window threw her off balance, freeing the creature and starting the fight anew.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They traded blows, but she dropped her weapon. The monster had twisted her arm and the stake slipped from her fingers. Before she could reach her fallen weapon she was grabbed by that arm again. The creature twisted it beyond its limit, she felt it pop out of place. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The Vampire used its hold to pull her to its chest.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She knew what was coming next. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She felt the Vampire’s fangs tear into the flesh of her exposed neck. She fought to escape its clutches but its arms were like iron. She could feel the fight slipping from her the more it fed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The monster turned her body, so she could stare her death in the eyes. “</span>
  <b>
    <em>Tell my Mother. I’m sorry.</em>
  </b>
  <span>” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She pictured her mother, who’d begged her not to join the rebellion. Who feared for her life every day as she fought off the demons that plagued the countryside. Who feared her daughter fighting a war more than the forces of darkness.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She knew that the creature was speaking to her. But she ignored it. She instead tried to remember her mother’s voice, remember the hymns she’d sing while she worked. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her last though was her mother’s lullaby before her life ended with a </span>
  <em>
    <span>snap.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vicki woke with a gasp. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She couldn’t breathe. It was like the air was too thick for her to swallow down. She could taste ash on her tongue.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She flinched away from the hand touching her shoulder. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Bùyào pèng wǒ!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” She pulled back and her head collided with the glass of the window behind her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Vicki!” Her fingers grappled around the door behind her, trying to find the handle that would open up the door. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She had to get out. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Now</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Vicki! Relax! Stop!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her fingers found the little lever and she pulled. The door swung open and she flung herself forward in a bid to escape the clutches of her attacker. The seatbelt was the only thing that stopped her from jumping out of the moving truck.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>There was a screech and her body was thrown forward, she smacked her head against the dashboard. She stopped fighting to escape the confines of the cab.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What the fuck, Vicki?!” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She slowly peeled herself from the dash and turned to look at herself in the side view mirror. She was bleeding, she’d split open her forehead, just above her brow.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Fuck! You’re bleeding, are you okay?” Ben unbuckled his own seatbelt so he could take a proper look at her. He reached forward to touch her face but she flinched away again.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She looked to her right, through the window, trying to see where they were. All she saw was open road and trees though. She had no idea where she was.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ben was talking to her but she didn’t hear it, not really. She was trying to recall what had happened. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>One minute she was fighting a man as the building burned around her and the next she was here.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>No</span>
  </em>
  <span>. That wasn’t right. She was at the cemetery. The Salvatore cemetery. Mystic Falls. Not whatever medieval village she’d dreamt up. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Swords and Vampires. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It felt so real though. She rubbed away the ache in her neck, where the Vampire had bitten into her throat. The skin itched there, she had the urge to dig her nails deep into the spot. To draw blood.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Vicki? What happened? What’s wrong?” She turned back to find Ben watching her with easy eyes. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I-“ Her throat was dry. She had to swallow before trying to speak again. “I don’t know. There was a fire and a man and I-I just had to get away.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You were asleep. You were thrashing around and you screamed. I tried to wake you up and you just went </span>
  <em>
    <span>batshit</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was just a dream. A dream.for some reason she was having a hard time processing that. Not only because it felt so real but because her mind felt so heavy. Like everything was going in slow motion and like she’d tip over at the weight of her thoughts.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Where are we?” Her time was sharp, though her mind was still fuzzy. She tried to recall how she even ended up in the truck. It took a moment. She remembered he was taking her home, but she didn’t like the fact that she didn’t recognize the area.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“By the old boarding house, you were passed out before I even got into the car. It’s only been like five minutes since we left the den. And then you started to thrash around, I thought you were going to hurt yourself.” He motioned to his own head, mirroring the area she knew she was bleeding from. “You did hurt yourself.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Technical-ly, that was you.” He was the one that slammed in the brakes. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Excuse me? You tried to throw yourself out of the truck. While we were still moving!”  The hand wrapped around the steering wheel tightened, she could see the knuckles whiten in his anger.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You were toush-touching me!” She didn’t like to be touched as a general rule. She definitely didn’t like people she barely knew touching her in her sleep. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Actually, the fact that she was even asleep in the first place was weird. She’d only had the one joint and two beers. She didn’t understand where the cloudiness in her mind was coming from. She felt high, but not like anything she’d felt before. She was sluggish, and she could feel her lips moving slower than the words were meant to come out. It was slurring her words. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Only to wake you up!” She stared at him for a moment. Studying him, willing her eyes to stay open and focused on his form. She believed him. Or maybe she was doubting her ability to get home even if she didn’t believe him. She couldn’t exactly walk home in her condition if she’d refused to ride with him because she thought he was gonna attack her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Just take me home.” Vicki leaned over, straining against the seatbelt to reach the door. She shut it with a huff and leaned her head against the window, not wanting to look at the boy beside her anymore.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine.” She could practically hear the clench in his jaw.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was another ten minutes or so until they reached their street. The whole ride was spent in silence. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vicki spent the time trying to fight the urge to let her eyes stay shut. They fluttered almost violently in their bid to stay open. They just felt so heavy. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What am I on?” It wasn’t the weed. That was for sure. “Did someone slip me the Percodan?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you accept any open drinks?” He sighed at her nod. “I caught one of the girls digging through your bag. She was holding one of the prescription bottles, not the Percodan, the other one. I think it was a sleeping aid. I made her put it back but apparently she’d already taken some.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Who was it?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Annie? I think that’s her name.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She tried to remember an Annie. “Red head?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, that was her.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“She likes to mix her stuff into her drinks. She was sitting next to me, she asked me to watch her drink while she went to pee.” So she hadn’t been roofied on purpose at least. That had to count for something.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She could hear the slur in her words, she hadn’t stuttered but it took her a while to get the words out, and her lips seemed to drag on certain sounds.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vicki studied herself in the side view mirror. Her eyeliner was smeared around her lids, her eyes were red and her pupils were blown. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t let Matty see me like this.” She pulled on her lower lids craning her head back and forth as though a different angle would change the image in the mirror.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What was that?” Ben pulled the truck into the driveway of her house. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“He can’t see me like this. He’ll think I’m like our mother. I’m not, I’m really not. I promise. Just don’t let him see me like this!” Her heart was beating so fast it actually hurt. She could hear it pounding in her ears. She couldn’t breathe again. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Vicki, relax.” But she couldn’t. She was starting to panic. “Vicki, look at me.” She was hyperventilating.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She felt fingers in her face. She tried to pull away but she couldn’t escape the grip he had on her chin. “Look at me.” Her eyes darted around his face, eyes fluttering about as she gasped for air. “Relax. Breathe.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She found herself focusing on his lips. Watching his lips form words without really </span>
  <em>
    <span>hearing</span>
  </em>
  <span> what he was saying. She watched his mouth form the same words over and over again. She let the pattern anchor her. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“In. Out. That’s good. Breathe.” He released the grip he had in her face once she’d had her breathing under control. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Matt can’t see me like this.” He stared at her for a moment before flicking his eyes to the house. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“He should be getting out of school in a few minutes. It’s almost three. You can sober up at my place. I have to go to practice though.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I can lock the door on my way out?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He nodded hesitantly. “My dad has a double shift tonight and I should be back before him in case it hasn’t left your system by six.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you, you're a lifesaver.” He put the car in reverse and drove them to his home. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ben only lived on the street behind hers, on the very edge of town. Literally. His backyard met the forest that blended into the one that Richmond claimed. There weren’t any houses beyond the trees, none that were intact anyway. Just dilapidated plantation houses, or what was left of them. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She vaguely recalled running through those woods as a kid. Playing tag amidst the trees with a young Ben Mckittrick and laughing as Matt chased at their heels. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t remember it being so small.” She looked up at the house he’d parked in front of. She remembered that the house and the trees had towered over her so much, they’d seemed like skyscrapers to a child of, what four or five?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Really?” She turned back to him and noticed his raised brow. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It wasn’t a dig. It’s the truth. It just seemed bigger.” She fumbled with the seatbelt as he himself got out of the truck. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She had just unclasped the buckle when Ben pulled open her door. “You were five. And you were never particularly tall.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Ass</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vicki slid herself off the seat but stumbled with her footing once she’d hit the ground. Her legs felt like lead, it was a struggle to keep them under her as she gripped the truck’s frame for dear life. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Bambi. </span>
  </em>
  <span>How about I go unlock the front door and you see how far you get without the help from </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ass </span>
  </em>
  <span>that’s letting you sober up in his home.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I said that out loud?” She could have sworn she had thought that. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You said it out loud.” He confirmed with a nod. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Whatever. Just help me inside before people notice.” The street was empty but there were nosy housewives all over town and she really didn’t want any rumors flying around. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He helped her inside after having to prop her up against the wall while he unlocked the door. She’d almost fallen flat on her face but those athletic reflexes had kicked in. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He sat her down on the couch before disappearing into the kitchen. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She looked around the room to find it oddly bare, well the walls at least. There were no photos around, no paintings or whatever either. But there were holes everywhere, so there had been something in the walls at one point. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She slumped against the couch’s armrest. She rested her chin against the leather there as she waited for Ben to come back, she could hear him moving around the kitchen. She let her eyes scan the little table beyond the armrest. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Lamp, a magazine and a picture frame. Face down though. She plucked the frame up and took in the image there. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Two families. Ben’s and hers. Ben, his dad and his mom before she’d left them. Her, her dad and a pregnant Kelly Donovan. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Their parents had been friends. Well their dads had been friends. It was why she’d played with Ben as a kid. Then her dad left. And his mom soon after. And then they never came over again. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She set the frame back down and let her head drop back down onto the couch. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Ben came back in with a glass of water. He set it down onto the coffee table in front of her. “I’d usually give you some aspirin or something but I don’t think it’d be a good idea to mix.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No, it wouldn’t.” Vicki reached out to take the glass. Her fingers had a hard time gripping the glass as they shook. She brought a second hand out to steady her grip. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She drank. Water spilled down her chin but she continued to drink until the entire glass was empty. She needed to sober up. And she needed to do it as soon as possible. “Can I have some more?” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure. No problem.” He came back with two glasses and he set them both down in front of her. “Listen, Vicki. I have to get to practice. Tanner will skin me alive if I’m not there in time. I already skipped out on his class today so I have to stay on his good side. Is that okay? Can I leave you by yourself? Or do you need me to stay?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She watched him as he crouched before her. He was staring again. Like had been at the cemetery. Only this time he was searching for something. Searching for a sign that she was sober enough to leave alone without set burning down his house or choking on her own vomit. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m okay. You go. Imma just sleep.” He must have found whatever sign he was looking for because he patted her hand once before standing. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay. I’m going to head out. I’ll be back by six. If you feel like you're okay before then, just please lock the door before you go. Okay?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He left. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And she was asleep a moment later. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She was running. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Running through the darkened streets of an oddly quiet downtown. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The people of Cleveland knew better than to be out on a full moon by now though. They didn’t really know what it was they should be avoiding, didn’t know about the creatures that prowled at night, but they knew to beware. The Hellmouth wasn’t the safest of places to live after all. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A low growl echoed amongst the tall buildings making the sound come from all directions. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She knew better than to look back. The beast was behind her. She didn’t need to see it for confirmation despite the instinct to check, that was how you ended up dead. It was chasing her. She could hear the scraping of its claws as if followed after her. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She just needed to keep it on her tail long enough to reach the warehouse district. A few more blocks and she’d have the thing trapped and ready to slay.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She tightened her grip on the axe in her hand. The monster had made her drop her weapon of choice but at least she’d found the axe in a backyard she’d cut through. The axe wasn’t silver coated like her blade had been but it would do in a pinch. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She turned a corner and listened for the tell tale screech if it’s clawed feet skidding across asphalt. When she heard the scraping and the echoing howl she pushed herself to run faster.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She just needed to make it down the street and then she was killing this thing. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She didn’t usually slay werewolves but this one was an exception. He liked to lock himself in with people he’d lured in. Rip then apart, tear them to pieces and coat the room in blood. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Twice in two months. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He’d locked himself into a homeless shelter the first time. Cut the surveillance cameras, cut the phone lines. Locked the doors with chains and padlocks. And when the moon rose he killed everyone inside. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Twenty-seven men, ages seventeen to fifty-eight. And two women. A mother of two and a grad student.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The second time he targeted a church. Fifteen dead. Three of them children.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She didn’t kill humans, even the furry ones. But this one she was gonna slay. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She could see the warehouse now. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her Watcher would have gone home by now but she had the key. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She pulled the chain around her neck up out of her shirt. The key to the door hanging off the chain. She pulled the thing off as she came to the last block.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She could hear the beast’s ragged breathing getting closer. She could feel the mutt at her heels. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She ran across the intersection right in front of her headquarters. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Pain bloomed across her side. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her body went limp. The axe flew out of one hand and the key dropped from the other. Her head smacked against glass, and then she was airborne. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She came back down with so much force, she couldn’t even describe the pain. But it was everywhere. Her head felt like it had split open. She couldn’t see the rest of her body but she knew that it was in bad shape.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She struggled to breathe. Her lungs couldn't seem to fill, no matter how hard she tried to gasp. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She couldn’t even muster up enough breath to scream when the werewolf clawed into her belly. It’s finger like claws tearing into cloth and flesh and touching things that should never have been touched. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She died of the shock and pain of it all before the lack of air took her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Claws and teeth. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She woke with a gasp. She couldn’t see anything through the dark but she could feel the monster’s claws and teeth tearing into her skin. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Stop!” She flailed around trying to escape the weight of the beast above her. “Get off! Get off! </span>
  <em>
    <span>Get off!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The teeth at her neck disappeared. But the creature’s paw clamped around her mouth. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Tight. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Shh.” Hot breath fanned across her face. Alcohol and cigarettes. The fingers around her face tightened. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And she realized that they were </span>
  <em>
    <span>fingers</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Not claws. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Fingers. Hands. Man. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Not beast</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The dream was fading away now. She hadn’t been running from some creature. She’d been sleeping off a high on Ben’s couch. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Ben</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The realization only made her fight harder.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vicki screamed and yelled but it was all muffled by the hand covering her mouth. She tried to fight back but her arms were trapped between her and her attacker. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The hand in her face shoved her head back, exposing her neck at an almost painful angle. She could feel him breathe against her neck. His tongue touched her skin and licked a warm wet trail up to her ear. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She thrashed her body to no use. She screamed as loud as she could against his hand. Her throat burned and she began to cry. Tears blurred her already darkened vision.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Kelly.” She whined low in her throat, her body shook with her sobs. It wasn’t Ben. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The voice was too rough, too low. Older. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Shh. Shh.” Another hand came up to caress her hair. Petting the side of her face and pushing her hair back into the couch. “It’s just me, Kelly.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He placed a wet kiss against her pulse point before biting down. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hard.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She screamed so hard she felt like she’d torn apart her vocal cords. She bucked against the form above her and it shifted.She felt the weight on top of her arm lift and she wasted no time.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She pulled her arm out from between them and fumbled around the coffee table. Her fingers met glass. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She brought the full glass down against the back of his head. Water spilled across both of them. She felt him stiffen above her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The glass hadn’t broken so she brought it down again, this time with more force. The hand around her face dropped. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vicki smashed the cup into his skull a final time and the thing exploded in a shower of water and shards of glass. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He slumped against her for a moment before picking up his head and socking her. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Pain exploded across her face. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She screamed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You bitch!” He sat up, still sitting across her legs. “You fucking bitch!” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He used one hand to choke her and the other rained down hits across her face and body. She clawed at his hand in her throat, trying to pry him off. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His knuckles hit the bare flesh of her stomach and that’s when she noticed that her shirt had been pulled up to her neck. He was bruising her exposed flesh.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>His fingers tightened around her throat and something inside her </span>
  <em>
    <span>snapped. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She wrapped her hands around his wrist and yanked. There was a </span>
  <em>
    <span>crack</span>
  </em>
  <span> and he screamed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He fell off her with a yelp. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She sat up and yanked her shirt back down. She kicked at him and grabbed for her back by the side table. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She leaped over the coffee table but his hand caught her ankle and pulled her back. Her fingers scraped across the wood as she fought against his pull. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Get off me!” She kicked behind her blindly until he let go. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She pulled herself up but by the time she stood he was already blocking the front door. She ran deeper into the house, trying to remember where the back door was. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She ran down the hall and spotted the glass door that led into the back yard. Her hand wrapped around the handle before she was yanked back by her hair. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She screamed again. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” He held her against him. His elbow wrapped around her neck, choking her. The other hand covered her mouth and nose, smothering her. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Her vision was starting to go black around the edges. She was going to die.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She thought of Matty. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Probably alone at home wondering where she was. She thought of him alone for a week before her mother came back to find her gone. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Matt. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vicki’s fingers tightened on the man’s arm and with a strength she didn’t know she possessed she tucked herself forward and lifted the man at her back off the ground. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He rolled off her back and flew into the glass door shattering it in impact. He slumped to the side and didn’t get back up. She stepped over his body and ran out the shattered door. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She broke through the woods and didn’t look back.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She ran through the woods without purpose.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She just needed to keep moving, keep running. Her legs were heavy and she was stumbling through the dark but she didn’t let that stop her. If she stopped then she’d have to face what happened back there. And she couldn’t do that. Not yet.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The adrenaline that ran through her earlier had worn off. The strength she’d possessed had waned. The pain she’d fought through had returned in full force. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Worst part was the raging headache that tore through her skull. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She kept getting these weird flashes as she crashed through the trees and brush. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Pale skin. Grins. A box. Blood. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She tripped and fell to the floor, but she picked herself back up and continued to run.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Scales. Three heads. Dragon-like. Blood.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She clipped her shoulder on a tree but kept running.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Teeth. Claws. Fur. Blood.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She broke through the tree line and found herself in a clearing. A house in its center. Tall, grand, abandoned. She made it to the porch before collapsing. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Yellow eyes. Deformed face. Fangs. Blood.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vicki crawled up stairs. The door slammed open with a bang the moment she stood before the threshold.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Teeth. Blood. Candles. Water.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She took a single step forward before falling to her knees once again. Wind whipped around her coming down the stairs, from the room before her and behind her. Her hair whipped around her face, blocking her vision. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Dearie.” Thrall. Red nails. Blood.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>So much blood.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Make it stop!” Vicki clawed at the floor beneath her. Nails digging into the floorboards, anchoring her to reality.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She kept drifting in and out of these images of monsters and death and blood. So much blood. The pain in her head only grew. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The wind continued to swirl around her. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A whisper came from her left but she couldn’t see anything. Her hair, her tears, the darkness. She could see nothing. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Another came from her right. She turned to face it but it was no use. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The voices came from all over. They all spoke at once, low and rushed and she couldn’t understand any of it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She hunched in on herself, her head pressed against the wooden floor. She shut her eyes and covered her ears in a bid to make it all stop.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Shut up! Turn it off! Turn it off! Stop!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>A portal. Falling. Pain. Unbelievable pain. So much pain. Blood.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The voices around her grew louder. Their words blended together, becoming one incoherent scream.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And then it stopped.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The wind died down and the house was suddenly silent. The pain in her head was gone. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vicki opened her eyes slowly and pulled her hands from her head. She pushed herself up so that she sat back on her heels. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The room around her was no longer dark. Candles lined practically every inch of free space. They were all lit, flames taller than she’d ever seen before.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>She felt a chill run down her spine. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Slayer.” It was whispered in her ear. As though someone was sitting right beside her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Vicki’s eyes rolled up into the back of her head and she collapsed on her side.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The door behind her closed with a gentle click.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Authors Note: So, for any of you who read my Buffy/Stranger things crossover, I’m so sorry I haven’t updated in like two months. I’ve had major writers’ block but obviously I’m back to writing. Unfortunately it just wasn’t an update for Chaos Bleeds. But I’m working on it! So there is one coming! I just had to get this out of my head. Quarantine has me rewatching Vampire Diaries and I felt inspired. I’ve actually had this idea for a while now, just Caroline as the Potential not Vicki. Season one Vicki just gave me Pre-Slayer Faith vibes and I had to see where it took me. For now this is just a one shot, but there is always the potential for more. Pun definitely intended. </p>
<p>P.S: Also I know Buffy’s death in season 5 doesn’t call a Slayer because the line no longer runs through her, but it just brings a world of possibility if it did.</p>
<p>P.P.S:I hope everyone is doing okay. Stay safe and healthy, please.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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